JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kamehameha's Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes applied the tag to Saint Louis' Kaden Kamoe in the second inning of yesterday's ILH tournament game at Ala Wai Community Park. The top-ranked Crusaders advanced with a 6-4 win.

Crusaders kick out Warriors

None was granted, permitting No. 1-ranked Saint Louis to escape with a 6-4 win over No. 10 Kamehameha yesterday in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball tournament.

Lucas Gonsalves, batting in the ninth spot, delivered the key blow in the fourth inning with a bases-clearing triple to give Saint Louis a 4-3 lead.

"The big hit was Lucas. Without that, it's a different game," Crusaders coach Duane Fraticelli said.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Saint Louis shortstop Danny Higa dove for a ground ball in the top of the third inning of an ILH tournament game yesterday at Ala Wai Community Park.

Josh Saio allowed three runs in five innings for the win, and Tamatoa DeMello pitched the final two frames for a save. Saint Louis (24-6 overall, 16-2 ILH) will face Punahou tomorrow in the tourney finals. The regular-season champion Crusaders will need two wins over Punahou, the only unbeaten team in the double-elimination format, to capture the tourney and the league championship.

Still, in the eyes of Kamehameha coach Vern Ramie, things should have been different. Because of a 6:15 p.m. curfew, Ramie filed a protest with the league, claiming that the game should have been suspended in the sixth inning. However, the chief umpire ruled that it was not yet 6:15 according to his watch and allowed the game to continue into the seventh inning.

"His watch is way late," Ramie said. "The game should've been suspended until tomorrow."

Kamehameha, down 6-3, rallied for a run in the seventh after T.C. Campbell scored on a passed ball. However, with runners at first and second, Arlie Johnson grounded into a double play to end the game.

Kamehameha (22-14-1, 8-9-1 ILH) saw its season close despite playing its best baseball during the tournament.

"Our bats hit a brick wall during the regular season," said Ula Nakamura, who belted a homer and a double. "Now it's ended so fast."

In the end, it was two unearned runs off two Kamehameha errors that made the difference. Saint Louis was flawless on the diamond with some outstanding stops by shortstop Danny Higa.

"He made some nice plays in the hole," Ramie said, pointing to one particular stop off the bat of Kalei Hanawahine in the sixth inning. "That was a big play."

Ramie, who protested without raising his ire, won't forget this young team and its four seniors.

"I'm real proud of them. We battled during this tourney and put things together. We've got nothing to be ashamed of," he said. "Today, we came up a little bit short."

Saint Louis took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when DeMello singled and raced to third on an error by Hanawahine in center field. Higa followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring DeMello.

Kamehameha's Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes socked a triple to deep center to start the third inning and came home on a sacrifice fly by Keanu Carmichael to tie the game at 1.

In the fourth, Hanawahine singled and Ula Nakamura launched a mammoth shot over the left-center-field fence, well over 380 feet away, to give Kamehameha a 3-1 lead.

Saint Louis answered in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Gonsalves' booming three-run triple to the gap off Kamehameha starter Patrick Akana gave the Crusaders the lead. Gonsalves then came home when shortstop Piikea Nakamura rushed his throw to first on DeMello's grounder and misfired.

The Crusaders added a single run in the sixth off David Lee after Gonsalves doubled and scored on DeMello's single to center for a 6-3 lead.